Heir
by Feathershade
Summary: In a world where death is as common as illness, Moonkit finds herself wishing her older sister dead. She's fallen for Stormkit, the prodigious tom, however, unfortunately for Moonkit, Steamkit and Stormkit have already been paired. Will Moonkit find her happy ending? Or will she be lost in a never ending game of love? WARNING: Sensitive Topics, Gore, and SlowUpdates. (TempKitNames)
1. Heir

**Hi. Have I completely made myself infamous from reviews? Definitely. Am I going to ignore that I'm mean? No... but I'll still continue to be me. If I review on your story rudely, look past the 'mean' stuff, and see the truth. Anyways, enough of my stupid blabbering. Here's the story idea.**

**In ancient kingdoms, there are ****Kings.**** The king usually have children, or in this case, kits, who usually become heirs to the throne. And, rather unfortunately, humans are greedy for power, as they will practically do anything to earn satisfy their hunger, which includes killing. This is a cat version of this brief explanation. Confused by my brief rambling? Same here, but maybe we'll figure it out.**

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Moonkit allowed a admiring smile to spread across her features as she watched two older male kits battle it out, a contrasting flurry of black and white fur. Her small, thorny claws sheathed and unsheathed, imagining herself in a real battle, or even a small kittish skirmage such as the one playing out before her. After a few moments of muffled grunts, the black tom ended, his large paws unsheathed and covered with blood and some white fur. His victim, Frostkit, was an ugly sight as he bounded off to the herb den.

She was about to bound over and congratulate the victor, Stormkit, however, before she could even move her light silver paw, a sleek golden tabby came rushing over, her emerald eyes sparkling in the morning rays. Moonkit let out a disgusted snort and refused to admit to her jealousy, instead turning to pad over to the large prey pile. Her eyes swept over the multiple choices and she picked a few candidates; a plump pigeon, a large and juicy looking squirrel, and a beautiful blue jay, a speck of dark crimson blood dotting it's neck's feathers.

Moonkit let out a unsatisfied grunt and stiffly picked up the blue jay by it's light blue feathers and dropped it off onto a large flat boulder. Staring at her prey without making a move, she quietly grumbled about the imperfections and that the workers were not trying enough. With a shake of her head, and a flick of her tail, she called, her voice clear and managing as much authority as a kit's voice could get,"Snowpaw! You stupid slave! Get your lazy rump off that nest and clean this bird!"

A small white dappled female apprentice quickly scurried out of a den, a small trail of unrested dust and dirt trailing behind her. Moonkit spat at the cat's head and sneered,"Where's your dignity? How can you expect to serve me with all your life while looking like that? Disgraceful!" She spit and let out a cracked laugh, unsheathing her thorny paws and clawing the snowy pelt of her servant, adding to their pile of scars.

Mortified, the white apprentice crouched down even further, and flipped themselves over, revealing their stomach, littered with unsightly scars. Moonkit slapped her tail down on the boulder and snarled,"Get out of my sight!" Quickly, head bent down and ears flattened, the she-cat quickly scrambled off of the boulder with her stump of a tail between her legs and disappeared behind a pile of overgrown ferns, probably to clean herself.

_Disgraceful,_ Moonkit thought, sniffing as if somehow, just the presence of a low rank would make her infected. Losing her appetite, the small silver kit shook her head and left the bird, untouched. Jumping off the boulder gracefully as she had so many times since first opening her eyes, she calmly padded over to a shaded area, two pure blue eyes shining mysteriously in the shadows.

Moonkit purred and hurried her pace, settling down in the shade, another long purr rumbling down her throat. The grey tabby next to her, was her oldest sister, most likely to take the position as queen if their sickly brother, Sootkit, took his inevitable death. "Moonkit, lovely day, wouldn't it be," her sister's silky voice meowed, the sound ringing and echoing like waves lapping up a shore, a rare smile showing in the dim light.

Moonkit looked outside of the small clearing and let out a casual laugh, though the pricked fur along her spine betrayed her casual demeanor. "Indeed, High Heir Steamkit." Moonkit's unique golden-amber eyes narrowed slowly as she spotted Daisykit, bathing on her rock, her golden fur gleaming a pale sandy color in the sunlight, fluffy tail lazily flicking back and forth.

Steamkit followed Moonkit's gaze and let out a light chuckle,"Jealous? Dear sister?" Moonkit stared back, her tail shifting behind her uncomfortably. After a few moments of soothing silence, Moonkit spoke, "Perhaps. It often comes to me, why Stormkit would pay more time for stupid Daisykit. He knows it would be more," Moonkit paused," Worth it, to have kits with the queen's line."

Steamkit nodded silently, her blue eyes showing nothing as she spoke, her voice a soft whisper,"Lightningkit seems to like you." This seemed to cause Moonkit some strangely humored amusement, as she let out something close of a cackle. Moonkit shook her head and stood up, licking her paw slowly- not that there was anything to clean from her clean fur. Steamkit let out a small mumble, causing Moonkit to turn around, tilting her head in question.

The grey tabby simply laughed and shrugged nonchalantly before explaining, "I'll be an apprentice by tomorrow, sunhigh. Make sure you don't miss it while mooning over Stormkit." Instead of the initial embarrassed reaction for Moonkit to start blushing petals, Moonkit snorted, but nodded curtly before ambling out.

**That was from Moonkit's third perspective view. This, would be from Stormkit's perspective.**

Letting out a luxurious yawn, he slowly blinked open my fluttery eyelids and pressed a black paw on his fluffy feathered nest and stood up. Shaking his ruffled pelt, he called for his servant, Mistpaw. The blue-gray she-cat scrambled over, head bowed and stumpy tail flat behind her. Stormkit scoffed,"Clean me." Quickly, the apprentice began to smooth out his messy mane and skillfully undid the knots in his pelt. As she began on his tail, he quickly curled it to his side and snarled, smacking Mistpaw, his abnormally long claws cutting deep on the closest part to him, her muzzle. Wincing in pain, the she-cat let out a few shrieks of pain and she writhed on the ground.

Stormkit smirked and let out a laugh,"You know not to touch the high-ranks tails. Tails, as you know," he paused, looking down at his servant with a sneer on his face,"Are too pure for the likes of you. They mean our identity. You just tried to touch my tail. You have no right to start whimpering as you are." With a last stoney glare at his servant, he shouted, his voice bleeding with contempt,"Get this stupid _thing _out of my den!" He began to laugh scornfully as two large workers came bounding to the entrance of the nursery, sympathy showing bright in their eyes as they saw the 'thing', that Stormkit wanted to be thrown in the river.

Mistpaw, through her dazed state, still whimpering, allowed her big eyes to go watery with shock. She realized what situation she was in, and on instinct, looked with a pleading at her master. Stormkit quickly slashed out her eyes for this, and he continued reprimanding,"You know you shouldn't look in our eyes. You stupid fox-dung excuse for a cat." He paused and let a dark sly smile spread across his face,"It's like mother and daughter..." As Mistpaw gave a shout of grief whilst recalling her blinded, dead mother, the black tom simply laughed smugly. Quick as lightning, he shot his large paws out and threw the apprentice out of the den. _Crack_.

There was an ear-breaking screech of pain. Without hesitation, he padded into the workers den and picked a small, pretty light brown tabby and lead her out of the den, managing a seductive look in his kittish eyes. He stopped in a clearing and motioned with a gentle flick of his tail for her to join him. There was a moment of hesitation, but the tabby slowly sat down. Stormkit smiled and began licking her pelt, a show of affection. The tabby let out a whimper of shock before relaxing and purring.

The black tom stood up and laughed as the tabby began nuzzling his paws. _She'll make a good servant._ He allowed his tail to sit across her back, and she began purring into one of his large paws...

Stormkit was a confident, unusually large kit. His paws were extremely powerful for only 5 and a half or so moons. Quick as the weather he was named after, his large paws bashed against the she-cats skull and he stepped aside calmly, as if he hadn't just given a cat a possible concussion. Inside of her pelt, he drew his claw and made a strange cloud shape in her back, claiming her as his servant. Casually, he sauntered away to sit near Daisykit, who's eyes lit up with longing as when he started licking her back. A growl rose from behind him, and Frostkit's stupidly venemous voice snarled,"Daisykit. Move."

Stormkit's brother's demand, was short and simple, but it summarized a lot. Confidently, Stormkit tilted his head to meet his brother's infuriated amber ones. he pressed a paw on Daisykit, securing her. Stormkit let out a laugh and broke their gaze, ending their silent fight.

After a few moments of silence, he chuckled coldly and responded, his voice icy,"Try me." Without hesitation, Stormkit launched himself at his brother, thorny claws unsheathed. Frostkit countered with a swift kick, his white hindpaw meeting nothing but air. As all of his momentum went into the single attack, Stormkit had already landed. The white tom tried and failed miserably totake his ground again, as Stormkit had already started battering him with blows. Frostkit's white stomach was covered in liquidish red, and his pants were heavy.

While Stormkit had let a few of his brother's uncoordinated scratches reach him, he definitely was the victor. Frostkit let out a choked sneer before hurrying himselve to the herb den. In the corner, he saw Moonkit staring at him, admiration and an emotion he couldn't decode fazing over her eyes. Stormkit laughed internally, _let her be jealous. Ditch Daisykit and she'll follow you immediately. Pathetic. _

He had once found Steamkit extremely beautiful, but he knew she had no feelings in return and anything romantic would be extremely one sided. In addition to that, she was too intelligent to fall for his tricks. His respect for her was too high for him to even consider the following; forcing her to bare his kits.

Ignoring Daisykit as she began licking at his paws, _again, pathetic,_ he purred and whispered into her ear,"Father wanted to talk with me about apprenticeship." She nodded understandingly and curled up. She almost looked cute while she was sleeping, but Moonkit would still be his final choice. Technically, he had not lied to Daisykit, as King did indeed want to talk to him, but about his mate.

It was rather obvious that Stormkit would become the king, as Frostkit had less of the highranking she-cats mooning over him. Sootkit was pathetic. Slightly tense, Stormkit put on a regal look and marched into his fathers den, head held high. As he entered, his body immediately resumed his casual posture and he greeted his father cheerfully,"Hello!"

Shadowcall looked up and allowed a small smile. On the side, sat Silverstar, the queen, Rosetail, Featherleaf, and his mother, Sweetwind. Managing an enthusiastic voice, Silverstar spoke, her voice smoother than honey,"We've come to the understanding at you would be the male heir, but you would only take the throne if Steamkit was your mate."

Shadowcall spoke up,"I have talked to Steamkit about this and she informed me that she will not be mating with you unless you impress her." Sweetwind added encouragingly,"I'm sure you'll win her over. Stormkit blinked and mumbled,"What about Moonkit?" Silverstar let out a hiss and growled, her beautiful eyes narrowed,"And you leave Lightningkit or Frostkit to claim my Steamkit? They're unworthy."

Stormkit allowed himself to take in the slight praise, before considering the choices. He could settle for Moonkit but allow Steamkit to possibly get mated by his horrid half-siblings, or he could sacrifice his pride and try to earn Steamkit's love. The choice seemed rather obvious. He nodded and left the den without another word.

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**Still confused? Yeah. I guess I didn't explain much in this first chapter, other than some derpy basic stuff. Well, here goes the boring info...**

**King - There is one in the clan, that acts as the leader, and has the rights to everyone- but the queen-'s life. This means, anyone has the risk of being killed at any moment if they do something to displease the king. The male heir will become the next king, unless deemed unworthy. If the male is denied or there is no male born when the king dies, the female heir becomes queen, and their mate, king. The king will have one queen, and the queen is not a demotable rank. There can be up to 3 other mates, who will provide more high ranking warriors, or in some rare cases, will become the heir. The queen's kits are the one's that are first entitled heir.**

**Queen - There is one in the clan, that acts as a second leader, and has the rights to everyone other than the king's children and other mates lives. This means, they have the power to harm-but not kill the other mates and their children, and the lower ranks may be killed as pleased. The king's chosen mate- the one they love the most, or their parents decided for them- becomes the queen. In some occasions, the female heir will become queen, and their mate, their king.**

**King's Mate - There can be 3 in each clan at a time, that act as respected deputies. They must not have any other mate, or they will be executed. These cats are chosen by the king, and if a king passes away, they will become normal high ranks. Their kits will only become heirs if the queen's kits are denied or dead. They hold as much authority as normal high ranks, although they act more superior and have higher spots on the boulder pile.**

**Male heir - The king's oldest son from the queen. They will become king once the king dies or retires. They will take on one mate- or their parents will decide- that will become their queen once they take the position. They are treated with admiration and often look down on the king's mates and their 'Noble kits'.**

**Female heir - The king's oldest daughter from the queen. They will become queen if the male heir is denied or dies. They will take on one mate- or their parents will decide- that will become the king if they happen to become queen. They are treated with admiration and often look down on the king's mates and their 'Noble kits'.**

**Royal heirs - The other kits of the queen. There can be 4 in total, including the male and female heir. If the number is overshot, one kit will be chosen to be adopted by one of the king's mates, and they will be immune to any slaughtering when the amount of noble heirs goes over. They will take up the roles slowly, still by age, if the male or female heir is denied or dies)**

**Noble heirs - There can be 9 at most at a time in the clan, and if at any time that number is over shot, the noble heirs will gather for inspection, the less prodigy looking kits will be slaughtered quickly and thrown into the river. They will take up the roles of Male heir and/or Female heir if both the original's are denied or die (Including all the other royal heirs). They are taught to admire the king and the queen, and are often spoiled by their mothers, but not as much as the queen's kits.**

**Highranks - They are the cats that make up the high ranking category and have their own boulder. They can not be demoted, and there can be at most 9 at a time in the clan. If the number is overshot, a cat will be slaughtered. (The demoted royal heir would still be immune to this process)**

**Herb Ranks - There will be 2 of these cats, a mentor, and an apprentice. They are allowed to have a mate, but not kits. They are treated with respect, and they heal. This clan does not believe in afterlife.**

**Low ranks - These cats are looked down upon, and they are usually called 'workers'. They patrol and hunt. These cats can not mate with higher ranks, and there will only be 15 of these cats at most. If the number is overshot, the weakest looking will become servants, however, if all the highranks already have a servant, they will be slaughtered.**

**Servant- The worst possible position you can be in. These cats are stepped upon by their masters, and practice the back-straining chores such as filling out new nests, fixing dens, and serving to any need of their master. These cats are unable to get out of their position, and if they ask for anything, they will be brutally tortured, and some cruel cats may not kill them instantly, instead, forcing their wounds to dry up with blood and reopen while doing more work. These cats might be randomly chosen at any time by a high rank, who will either get straight to the point, or seduce them and see what they would be like as a play thing.**

**Anything notable:**

**Moonkit is a Royal heir.**

**Steamkit is the Female heir.**

**The highranks have a large cliff filled with large ledges called 'boulder's', where they can choose to sleep on if they wish too, and where they might choose to eat. Near the top are perches where high rank cats that have been called for a ceremony sit. It is called the Ledge. This is where the clan has meetings.**

**There is only one 'clan'.**

**Stormpaw and Daisypaw are from different litters and they are Noble heirs.**

**Sootkit is a dark gray tabby with sickly yellow eyes, weak with a birth-started greencough. It's obvious that his small body will die on him soon.**

**The king is Shadowcall. (This clan keep's their warrior name if they become king)**

**The queen is Silverstar. (Star is not a sacred word anymore, as they do not believe in ancestory)**

**The kits want to have kits to keep their bloodline running. They fight over the other gender. Its common to know who your mate will be once you get to apprenticeship. If they are too late to have kits, they may be killed before they have another chance.**

**Noble Heir's and Royal Heir's mentor situation: Nobles have 2 mentors (Unless they choose the path of herbs) that are occasionally shared with other nobles if there are not enough high ranks, and royals have the same situation, but at times, the king and their mates will train them.**

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**Now, I know that this is extremely similar to Embers and Ashes, so apologies on that, but thats done, so I hope you enjoyed whatever the heck this mess was. I honestly don't know how to write, so please review any errors I made, or anything that might need to be cleared up. Im really sorry for all the info, but its just something that I need to base it off of. Its kind of like the allegiances, but not. Something most people skip, but yeah.**

**Is this against the rules? Probably.**

**QOTC (Question of the chapter)**

**What do you think of the highranks' behaviors towards their servants? **

**Have a good day! Cookies to anyone who reviews. Any type of review. Other than a copy and pasted one.**


	2. Stormy Confusion, Steam's Disappointment

**Hey! Guess who just got 4 teeth pulled, has a bunch of red tinted drool coming out of their mouth, and hasn't updated their story for like a month? Me! Said person surprisingly had some people take a look and review on their derpy story, so really, thanks for the support, like I'm not trying to be cringey, but I didn't even expect one person to check it out. On the other note, I've made some updates to the first chapter, so eck, there might be changes to the system if you have like the best memory ever.**

**Disclaimer: Moonkit doesn't believe in not-swearing... oh and, pretty sensitive topic suggestions, but that area has a warning with a whole linebreak and all. I wont get graphic, so don't be afraid to continue reading this story.**

_coniferous - Redfeather.  
Yeah, the way they act is asking for us to hate them, but thats the way they've been brought up. I actually took inspiration from Wolf on the system, though I promise this story will turn out unique. Only their non-existent Starclan knows the answer, oh, and me, lol. Perhaps. I'm playing around with a few ideas at the moment._

_IvyJaylovescandy.  
I agree with that first phrase, and... the fact that I've managed to somehow hide the fact that they're torturing cats, is that a good thing? Thanks for the note, should be fixed up._

_Goreslash.  
It's kinda funny to me how you and coniferous - Redfeather had the same idea. Thanks for the support :D_

_'dude'_

_I'm not sure I understand, but if you mean the info, you could have skipped it._

_Anonymous [GUEST REVIEWER]_

_Lol, I guess you wouldn't be a sadist because its a fictional story, although thats kind of relatable to me when I read over my story, so does that just mean that I'm a biased sadist that doesnt.. k ill stop rambling and wasting your time. Thanks for the review! :D_

_Artistic-And-Wild-Justice_

_The Mention Of Homework. It gets me on edge XD. I hope you're happy with LE chapter!_

_Once again, big thanks if you reviewed, favorited and/or followed. I'm in the middle of baking your cookies (::) Also, sorry for the weird changes, but because my schedule is screwed up by school and homework, I'm extremely inconsistent between passages with present and past tense. Hopefully it'll clear up soon._

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**Stormkit**

First thought. _Stupid. _The tom couldn't understand why he was in this situation. Why had they done this to him? Steamkit would be waiting for him to beg at her feet. Stormkit had dignity, pride, and a volcanic bursting ego. Would he give it up for a rank? It seemed so. Of course, he could loose even more by running back to his father's den and begging for a separate option. "Stormkit!" An optimistic voice shouted. He didn't need to turn around. The only one who would openly express positivity in this clan was Daisykit. Oh Daisykit, if only she knew how badly she was getting cheated.

Shoving aside his love affair issues, he put on his most cheerful smile - which paled in comparison - and flicked his tail awkwardly, for a moment, forgot how a normal cat would act if they were supposed to be jumping with glee. Of course, there was the cheesy reaction, one that even in an alternate, jovial universe, any version of Stormkit would never choose to on go normally. Sometimes, in cute and content romantic journeys, you could say that glowing and sunny attitudes from one might infect the other until both are freely laughing. This isn't a perfect world. Stormkit practically struggles with his handsome face to keep on his plastic grin as Daisykit asks if he'd like to go on a walk.

Again, on a normal basis, Stormkit would hesitate little and allow the she-cat to have her fun. Right now? He has someone to prove himself to. In a secluded corner, shaded away from the rest of the stiff clan, is Steamkit. Stormkit's inclined to abandon the golden she-cat next to her without a second thought, but he manages to pull together a few strands of the manners that high ranks are supposed to have, dips his head politely to the golden she-cat, and quietly murmurs a bland excuse before marching off towards the exit of camp.

Once outside, he quickly swerves to avoid an incoming patrol and hears Swallowmist mutter a complaint about the upped patrols. He makes a mental note to remind his father to punish her for her rebellious behavior and marches on towards the small entrance in the other side of the camp. Casually, he strolls into the camp and now sure that he doesn't have Daisykit's green eyes bubbling into his back, drifts over to the clearing where she resides.

Steamkit. She's beautiful as ever, and her deep blue eyes draw you in. Stormkit's speechless for a moment before he remembers that he's trying to impress, and not gawk. Silently, Stormkit notes her lean muscles underneath her thick pelt, one much like her mother's, gentle waves of mottled fur lining it. Her eyes are calculating, her tail curled around her. Her euphonious voice breaks him from his thoughts and he quivers out how easily he's been distracted.

"Stormkit. What brings you here?" She has a slight frown, and Stormkit allows his mind to wonder if it's because he's the disappointment, or it's because she expects him. He lets out a soft laugh, a test really to see if his voice is cracked. All clear, he inwardly smirks. Playing the long rehearsed lines, making sure to perfect every expression that he mastered looking into a puddle, he speaks, his tone sounding melodic in his head. He can only hope it sounds the same in Steamkit's ears. "Oh Steamkit, I'm just trying to take refuge from the ruckus," he rolls his eyes, attempting a casual shrug, and he's sure that Steamkit's focusing on his beating heart, rather than his speech. For a quick moment, he wonders if it's even possible to make Steamkit jealous.

"You know, the usual, Daisykit following me around. Almost disappointing she isn't a servant. Seems born for it," he continues, forcing a slight smirk tugging his maw. He's accomplished something, and he knows because the corners of her maw twitch ever so slightly, her tail flicking- but not lashing from fury at him for attempting to flirt. Stormkit's not sure if her smile's a good thing, since he'd planned to get her jealous, not amused.

Steamkit breaks the silence, allowing Stormkit to save himself from an awkward conversation starter. She coughs lightly and smiles while letting out an easy purr,"I remember when you were 2 moons old. You were the last to open your eyes. You and what's his name, Frogkit?" She laughs, her chuckle so light and harmonic, as she shakes her head,"Nevermind." Inwardly, Stormkit takes this as a victory. Steamkit isn't blatantly ignoring him, and she has even less respect for Frostkit than him, so that's good news. Honestly, being around his future mate in a romantic sequence isn't as bad as he'd initially thought. Rather, instead, she makes him feel comfortable and truly calm.

His 'Prodigy' mask has no use near her, as this was someone who used to treat him as a little brother when they were young. Finally relaxing and allowing himself to let go of his unnatural and tense sounding scripts, he nods in agreement to nothing really and corrects her,"It's Frostkit." Steamkit laughs and adds with a playful smirk,"And why should I care?" Stormkit allows an equally smug smirk to spread across his face before bursting out laughing.

Quite interestingly, Stormkit finds himself young again, in a casual conversation with his older half-sister. By this point, he's completely thrown flirting out the window. In a friendly manner, he laughs as his stomach rumbles in complaint, and he swiftly grabs a plump pigeon from the overflowing high rank pile. He pauses suddenly, and remembers that by this point in time, his new servant should be waking up. Shrugging, he padds over to the slump form of the tabby she-cat.

What greets him as well as surprises him is, she's already awake. Her sobs are quiet, but definitely not a trick of his ears. Her new scars on her back are still running in a few deep sets. Tears form a murky puddle near her head, but Stormkit has no patience. "Your name." The she-cat looks up through glaring and accusing eyes, tears dampening her face. She flattened her ears and spits inaudibly,"Songwhisker." Stormkit mewes,"What was that?" before cutting her off as she begins again,"Whatever, Rainpaw. Stop crying and go to your mentor." Formerly known as Songwhisker, the beautiful she-cat slumps and crawles towards a moldy small den: the servant den, wincing in pain as the dried parts of her injury break open again from the movement.

Shrugging, Stormkit walkes back to the clearing and purrs, sitting closer to Steamkit than he'd been before he'd left. Gracefully, he pulls off the silver feathers of the dead pigeon and sets them aside. Quietly, they began picking small pieces from the bird until only the bones remain. Stormkit purrs before promptly shoving the remains into the soft dirt, pushing small pawfuls of dirt onto the pile until all that is left to show of the meal is the tip of the poor bird's wing, gleaming in a small ray of light. His heart begins beating heavily, as he makes his first bold move: draping his tail over Steamkit. No reaction. Stormkit's quite bemused for a moment. Or not. Steamkit's body slowly grows more relaxed, showing that her body had been tense at his touch. Slowly, Steamkit pushes his tail off and pads away, her pace slowly growing to a jog as she runs out of camp.

Stormkit is left dumbfounded and confused. _She-cats are so weird, _he concludes, settling down for a peaceful nap.

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**Moonkit**

Her situation is rather complex. If only she hadn't fallen for the bold tom, she wouldn't be mindlessly hissing at the sight of Steamkit. After sunrise, they would become apprentices. She should have been jovial, innocently wondering who her mentor would be. Instead, here she was, hoping that Stormkit would cast a single glance in her way. It was completely possible that Stormkit had been paired with Steamkit, though there had, as of then, been no formal meetings announcing such. For this, Moonkit allowed a small once of hope blossom in her pelt. A voice from behind her, broke her from her observing stare. The voice was soft and mellow, though many of the clan only saw her regal side, a stern, beautiful, and demanding she-cat.

Moonkit forced a thin smile onto her frustrated face and turned around to meet the warm amber eyes over her mother. "Mother," she greets her head respectfully, awkwardly smoothing out the fur of her back with her sleek tail, embarrassed to be caught so jealous. An emotion that Moonkit defines as pity crossed the queen's eyes before the molly speaks again,"Who are you thinking to mate with?" At that moment, the all confident she-kit stumbled for words and she shrinks infinitely, licking her paws, flushing red. Quietly, she mumbles,"Mother, isn't it a bit early indeed to start speaking about my kits? Although.." Moonkit trails off for a moment,"I do indeed like Stormkit, but Lightningkit's so shy..." the silver tabby pauses again.

Encouragingly, Silverstar urges her on, her eyes focused and unreadable, causing Moonkit to wonder what is going on in her mind. "Well? What about Frostkit?" Moonkit becomes silent, before answering quietly,"Stormkit's stronger, more intelligent, and patient, and his fur's like shadows in the moonlight, always sleek and groomed to perfection, and-" Silverstar snorts curtly and simply informs her daughter, her face expressionless,"Steamkit's with Steamkit." Of course, Moonkit has known that this was extremely likely, but now, the confirmation is too much. She begins trembling and helplessly sobs into her mother's pelt. Silverstar shoves her off roughly and smacks the she-kit, growling,"You will mate Frostkit or Lightningkit. Lovely." Without another word, she strides away, her paws light and free of any guilt.

Inwardly, Moonkit growls with protest, on the outside, she lets out a huff, and begins grooming herself calmly, though her strokes are rough and jerky, unlike the usual high rank elegance, she gives her pelt swift licks and hisses as a clump of fur refuses to settle down. Giving up quickly with her shortened temper, she stomps to the freshkill pile, creating a trail of dust in her wake. She chooses a large squirrel and demands that Snowpaw attend to her pelt. Slowly, the frail servant stumbles out of the den, looking exhausted after fixing up a new den for Moonkit when she turns into an apprentice. After inspecting the apprentice's pelt, she flicks her tail ever so slightly, signaling for the she-cat to start. As Moonkit picks away at the squirrel, the she-cat skillfully smoothens down her pelt, and for once, Moonkit is satisfied with the servant's work, dismissing her without punishment.

She feels she is being too generous today, and walks into the worker's den. Calling up a patrol of 4, she condemns them individually for their untidy pelts and sneers, her spittle flying straight into their faces. She cares not for their winces, instead, she wants to see them in pain. Using their 'disrespect for the clan' as a silly excuse, she claws each of them, knowing that if any of them dare touch a paw on her, they could be killed. With the looming threat hovering above their heads, they allow her to play with them, scratch them, and step on. Soon, Moonkit's standing on a ginger calico she-cat, meticulously running a sharp claw down from the victim's neck to her tail. Once satisfied with the red art she has created on the she-cat, she leaves the den without another word, not bothering to clean her claws.

Finally, her days work catches up to her, and her stomach rumbles for a replacement of her earlier squirrel. She shakes her head at her paws which aren't in proportion to the rest of her build. Perhaps if she eats enough, she'll grow bigger, and outmatch them. She skips over to the fresh kill pile eager to spoil herself with another large feast. She fastidiously picks out one of the plumpest preys, a tender-looking robin that seems to have been caught only a few moments ago. Pleased with her choice, she settles down a few fox lengths away from her new den.

The sun's risen, and she knows that any second now, Shadowcall will come bounding out with a smirk and host their apprentice ceremonies. While she thinks that perhaps the blood on her claws will simply cause cats to fear and respect her, she knows that Steamkit, oh miss assiduous, will begin pointing out every fault in having such an appearance. So, mockingly slow, she rolls her eyes and begins dramatically grooming her claws, knowing that where ever in the busy camp she is, ever-so observant Steamkit will catch sight of her show.

After her diligent grooming, she's pleased with her new shiny thorns for claws, and she casts a nonchalant glance at the rest of her pelt. Of course, it's still smooth and sleek the whole way out, showing her developing muscles through her striking silver pelt, and it seems that she does not need Snowpaw's services again. So she dawdles around, tail flicking casually, her eyes casting nonchalant glances around. Soon, her perked up ears catch the sound of bounding, and the feast patrol returns, each worker in the patrol carrying a bird or two. Moonkit's eyes are alerted to a beautiful white dove, caught by Fennelspring. Moonkit's quite impressed by the clean kill, and she makes sure to snatch it during the feast at moonhigh.

Following the patrol, is the elegant form of Shadowcall appearing out of his den. His muscles ripple under his sleek midnight pelt as he scales the large cliff; Ledge. Shadowcall catches Moonkit's eye, and he nods, tail beckoning. Moonkit dips her head and walks over to the base of the cliff, before climbing to a small perch under the clifftop. From there, she can see the whole camp in it's vivid state, even the dark lean form of Steamkit bounding across the camp. She digs her claws in to the rock as Steamkit easily leaps up the rock face, and settles on a perch that's higher than hers. Licking her paw, Moonkit climbs higher.

She glares at Steamkit indignantly, and inwardly hisses with rage as Steamkit casts an apathetic glance her way, her bold shoulders shrugging indifferently. _How dare she pretend she doesn't care?_ Moonkit hisses bitterly. Soon, Stormkit is bounding forward, and he sits next to Steamkit, their fur brushing ever so slightly, and his smooth tail wrapped around both of them. Moonkit feels something break inside of her, and she resists the temptation to scream in complaint. Lightningkit comes bounding over with a oblivious expression and leaps up the rock, stopping at a boulder.

He's hesitant, and his eyes meet Moonkit's, as his head cocks to the side in a questioning appearance. Moonkit shrugs and he enthusiastically bounds up to her perch, close, but not close enough for their fur to mingle. Moonkit looks straight ahead, ignoring the golden tom as he makes strange sounds. _Is this how he's going to impress me?_ Moonkit thinks with a snort. Finally, as Frostkit appears in his place, the tom manages a word. A simple word: Hi. Moonkit's about to laugh at Lightningkit's feeble attempts, but luckily for Lightningkit, Shadowcall's voice booms across the clearing as he calls for a gathering. Dozens of cats settle down underneath the rock, some with admiring expressions on their face, some with pure jealousy plastered across their scarred faces. Moonkit ignores them all, only scanning the high ranks for who will be her mentors.

She feels that Ferndash will be able to teach her how to hunt like a shadow, and perhaps Foxfang's skills will allow her to batter a badger alone. Shadowcall yowls again, his face masked with a falsely proud grin as he sits neatly on the ledge, "It has been a long time since," the tom pauses, his eyes reflecting boredom he must be feeling at the moment. He continues after slight pause, _dramatic much,_ Moonkit reflects with a small snicker, "Since Runepaw, Sagepaw, and Manglepaw became apprentices."

The afore mentioned apprentices sit straighter from their spots underneath. _Lucky,_ Moonkit thinks bitterly, _they have all the attention while I have to share it with Sweetwind's litter, __and__ Rosetail's. Why couldn't Silverstar have birthed us earlier, like Featherleaf did? Heck, why do her kits even get a freaking mentioning at OUR ceremony?_ Shes uncharacteristically annoyed, and her claws dig deeper into the rock.

After his dramatic drawl of suspense, Shadowcall continues, "It is time for these cats to become apprenticed. Moonkit and Steamkit. Please step forward." Moonkit steps closer to the edge of her rock, lifting her head proudly and ignoring the fact that most of the crowd's attention is on the lithe form of Steamkit. "You have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed." Moonkit stares off into the distance as the crowd stares intently at them, waiting for the information.

"Steamkit." He looks truthfully proud as he calls his daughter's name. "You are the female heir, and you show great talent. Your new name is Steampaw. Your mentors will be Lightningwhisker and Ferndash." The two said toms dip their heads in recognition, allowing Shadowcall to continue. "May someone fetch Sootkit?" There's a slight sneer on his face, and what Moonkit assumes will happen is not positive for Sootkit. The cat that tends to the herbs looks out from the medicine den before disappearing.

She appears again, this time with the small form of Sootkit. It seems he also knows what's going to happen, if his grim look sends of the right idea. "I am disappointed in you." Shadowcall begins. In her peripheral vision, she sees Lightningkit wince with something akin to sympathy. She's tempted to tell him to not bother with the likes of Sootkit, but Shadowcall interrupts her _extremely _important message.

"You will be denounced from High Heir." With that, the muscular tom casually leaps off from the top and lands neatly, somehow right in front of his kit, and claws the smaller tom in the face. "You are now Dustpaw, a Noble Heir. Your mentors will be Lightningwhisker and Darksnarl. May they allow you to," he paused and smiled twistedly, "Make use of your small size." If 'Dustpaw' is humiliated, he does a great job of hiding it. He looks up into his father's eyes and nods respectfully, somehow ignoring the dripping scarlet blood from his newly scarred face, eyes bright with excitement now. Shadowcall leaps back onto the top of the Ledge.

He turns to Moonkit and lends her a toothy smile, "Ah. Moonkit." She narrows her eyes at him, wary of his sudden playfulness. "Medicine cat den." The clan goes silent before Shadowcall breaks it with a easy laugh. "Don't get too tense here. You will now be known as Moonpaw. Your mentors will be Foxfang and Witherfrost." Newly named Moonpaw goes silent. Witherfrost. She whispers it, and the name sounds bloody on her tongue. Perhaps the metallic taste is just from her biting. She nods and settles back down.

The bored look returns to her father's eyes and he calls, his voice flat, "Lightningkit will be Lightningpaw. Your mentors are Foxfang and Jaggedsand." Lightningpaw beams, seeming to not notice how Shadowcall looks like he'd much rather be sitting in his den sleeping. "Stormkit will be Stormpaw. Your mentors are Darksnarl and Twistedtail." He turns to Frostkit, looking like he wouldnt give a damn if some rabid fox interrupted the ceremony. "Frostkit will be Frostpaw. Your mentors are Twistedtail and Jaggedsand."

Moonkit ponders for a second how much thought was given into the choice of their mentors. Lightningwhisker is loyal and determined, but not too skillful at much, but Ferndash is clearly the best hunter in the clan. Darksnarl for Dustpaw is interesting. Darksnarl seems to be rather strict, and it feels that perhaps this tight persona would have been better with someone who wasn't as easily obeying as Dustpaw. Foxfang will be able to teach her how to fight, but no one really knows what Witherfrost excels in.

Probably everything, for that matter. Maybe in a few moons Moonpaw will be walking casually, though quieter than a feather. It seems Lightningpaw will still flooding a majority of her training, as he also shares Foxfang, and Jaggedsand will most likely shut him out coldly. Stormpaw, well, he's interesting. Their personalities will clash, make some nice drama, and Twistedtail will be there to stop over-exerting themselves through fighting. Well, there's still Frostpaw, who Silverstar seems keen on making her mate. Moonkit doesn't think much about it, though perhaps his training will lead behind with an average peacemaker and a cold-snout.

Interrupting her precise calculations - at least, that's what she would like you to think of them as - is Witherfrost. She turns around and goes silent, for once looking down with a blush. Witherfrost is what you might call handsome - not his mysterious personality, but his physicality -. He's a luminescent black, the silver streaks of his pelt gleam in a blue-gold hint in the sunlight, and muscles ripple underneath. He has these deep charismatic green eyes, calculating, vibrant, things that draw Moonpaw in. Especially how he seems so indifferent about this.

Foxfang on the other hand... he's handsome too, and there's definitely lots of muscle under his sleek red pelt, the flecks of white shining brilliantly, and his amber eyes are sharp and exotic. Moonpaw inwardly groans. How has she already managed to fall for both of her mentors? God dammit! She realizes she's zoned out, Foxfang has left for his other apprentice, and Witherfrost's grooming himself nonchalantly, passively.

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**Right! So if you're sensitive, don't read this part. A bit of... 'fluff' if you will call it that. Btw, I wont get into dirty graphics, but for those of you who are getting the idea, it just might happen... espec in this clan of... *******

* * *

_Moonpaw stutters for a moment before pulling herself to full height and squealing, "Train me!" She realizes she sounds like a small kit and quickly corrects in a more matured, demanding voice, "Well? Are you going to let me lag behind? Father won't be pleased." The tom stops and narrows his eyes at her, before meowing in his silky voice, "But you wouldn't blame it on me, would you?" He has an innocent smirk and shrugs. Suddenly, he's wrapping his tail around her lean body and licking her head roughly. "Now, be a good molly and don't talk about our play sessions, won't you?"_

_Moonpaw goes silent. He wants to mate her? She begins tingling and blushes a deeper red. His smirk further more deepens, and slowly, he leads the dazed apprentice out. "Now, there's a special way I do it. But you have to earn that, and you wont tell anyone I do it, right? Because that would stop he fun!" He smiles and continues, "Now, you're going to fight me, and if you do it good, in a few moons, I might give you some special treatment." Moonpaw pauses. Does Shadowcall know that Witherfrost does this with his apprentices? Heck, will Runepaw be pregnant soon?_

_Witherfrost slowly slides away from her, and Moonkit begins to follow him, still confused but pleasantly. He slowly purrs and pushes her away and mumbles under his breath, "Easy prey," before smiling again and crouching._

* * *

**From this part and on, this should be kit-friendly.**

(Witherfrost brings out Moonpaw with questionable ways)

"Now, we'll begin with the basic crouch." Moonpaw is left to stare in awe as he easily sinks into a crouch. He looks up expectantly at her, and she dumbly bends her legs. The feeling is strange and uncomfortable. Witherfrost gets up and gently nudges her rump down with his tail, and she slides down. She feels slightly more comfortable, but it still feels awkward and strange. "Move your front paws further apart, and straighten your tail out for balance. You're too front-heavy at the moment." Moonpaw adjusts to this, and even though it's still weird to her, she suspects that's only natural since it's a new position.

He seems satisfied with her current position, and rumbles on," Now, we'll have you learn a basic move. The front-paw swipe." The tom crouches down before promptly pausing. _Why is he hesitating?_ Moonkit wondered. After a few moments of silence, Witherfrost seems to break out of his dazed state and smiles as if nothing has happened. "So first, this move is used as a distraction, but I'll show you in a few moments how it can be turned into the start of a vicious battle set." Paws sheathed, he slips out a paw at the unsuspecting Moonpaw, which causes her to jump in surprise. She falls onto the floor, creating a mass of dust.

"Now you try-" Witherfrost is cut off as Moonpaw reaches out a paw. As he jumps up, mildly caught off-guard, she instinctively leaps over him and sends a sharp kick onto his back before leaping onto the other side, successfully landing neatly. Witherfrost grunts before rising slowly, shaking off the sand from his sleek pelt. His fur is ruffled, but his eyes hold a tinge of pride. "That was rather advanced for your first day!" He congratulates her, licking her head like a father might do.

Moonpaw flinches but sits up straight as the rustling of the bushes reaches her ears. A plump mouse dashes out, it's eyes crazed and bulging with terror. Without a second thought, Moonpaw slams a paw down on it's spine, cracking it with a sound crunch. Soon after, Steampaw's muzzle pokes out from the undergrowth and she wears an irritated frown of her face. _Hah, not even learning to hunt yet, and I've caught this._ Moonpaw thinks cockily. Steampaw stares at the mouse at her younger sister's paws and brings herself to say in a smooth but authoritative voice,"Give it to me."

Moonpaw shrugs and asks curtly with an equally annoyed smirk on her face,"Why should I?" Steampaw stares at her for a moment, dumbly, before letting go of her calm mask. She snarls abruptly, "Because it's mine!" Steampaw steps closer, only for Moonpaw to slap an unsheathed paw across her furious face. Steampaw winces at the strike, and she falls weakly. Inwardly Moonpaw snorts at the pathetic show, but before she can comment about the stupidity of her eldest sister, Ferndash appears silently, her face is not one that you might say could be pleasant. It's quite the opposite. She looks fumingly at her apprentice who's struggling to stand up, and then at the mouse behind Moonpaw.

Ferndash is quiet. When she talks, it's soft but stern, and you feel the need to go silent to listen to her melodic voice. This time, she blesses Moonpaw with her now calm voice, "Well. Steampaw, I assume your catch did not go well?" Steampaw looks down shamefully before dipping her head slightly. She then proceeds to glare at Moonpaw with the scornful blame flying out of her mouth, "Because of a certain someone!"

Moonpaw finally laughs at this and pipes up, "I'm taking notes, Steampaw! How to act royal and like the next leader. Be whiny and accusing, blame others for your faults. Are you proud?" Steampaw flails a swipe at Moonpaw, and un-alert, Moonpaw feels the claws rake down her pelt. Her new wounds burn, as Witherfrost who had been mostly silent for the slight commotion steps forward protectively and growls.

Ferndash speaks again, this time more irate, "Stop feuding like a bunch of foolish rogues! Moonpaw caught the mouse, and Steampaw, you're hopeless." Moonpaw beams proudly before being shutdown, "And Moonpaw, I'm going to have to talk with Shadowcall about your disrespect. Even if Steampaw is a failure, "Ferndash casts a scathing look at Steampaw, "You will learn to respect her." With that, she flicks her tail and leaves, Steampaw quickly scurrying behind.

Witherfrost lets out an amused purr before his eyes grow concern, gently licking the wounds. "You're okay?" He asks hesitantly. She nods and dramatically groans at the sky. "It's sunset, and I'm so hungry!" Witherfrost lets out another croaky purr and ambles towards camp without another word.

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**Hi. I hope it didn't get too dirty. I'm pretty sure that the max will just be suggestive, so don't worry too much about that. Hoped you found the chapter interesting, and we found out that Steampaw isn't a SueSue. Of course, Moonpaw's punishment will be revealed next chapter. I really hope this delay didn't stop you guys from enjoying, so without a further-a-do, time to break a rule.**

**QOTC**

**If you were Steampaw, on a scale of 1-10, how mortified would you be at your mentor repeatedly expressing her disappointment in you?**

**Love ya guys ~ Feather**


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